November 2025

Mustard (mus’turd) is any of several herbaceous plants of the genus Brassica of the mustard family (Cruciferae). This family includes many familiar garden plants, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, radishes, and turnips. The many species of mustard plants range in height from a few inches to several feet. The flowers are usually white or yellow. The seeds are contained in elongated pods.

Various species of mustard are cultivated. The leaves may be used as greens, and the seeds are crushed for their oil or for making the familiar condiment table mustard. In the United States, table mustard is made mainly from the seeds of white mustard (Brassica hirta) and black mustard (B. nigra). Both species originated in the Mediterranean region or in the Middle East, where they have been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. Indian, or leaf, mustard (B. juncea) is probably native to Africa. It is grown for its tasty greens.

Mustard oil is used in the manufacture of soap, rubber substitutes, and leather and woolen goods. The seeds of black mustard, when treated a particular way, produce the irritating mustard gas used during World War I. The ancients believed mustard had special healing powers, and they used it for a number of afflictions. Today it is used still in mustard plasters.

Woody plants that produce a single stem or trunk and many branches are called trees. Woody plants that produce many stems from the soil, with new ones being produced each year, are called shrubs. Plants that produce no woody stems are known as herbaceous. Any plant that lives for many years is a perennial. Those plants that remain in gardens year after year but are not woody are herbaceous perennials – peony, iris, and phlox are examples.

Some herbaceous perennials, called bulbous plants, produce bulbs. These include not only the true bulbs, such as tulips and onions, but also the solid bulbs, or conns, such as gladiolus and crocus. Tubers are produced by dahlias, caladiums, and other tuberous plants. Rhizomes are developed by iris, lily of the valley, and other rhizomatous plants. All of these perennials produce and store food below ground so that a new plant may grow each year.

A few plants such as foxglove, canterbury bells, and wild mullein last only two years. The first year they make a rosette of leaves close to the ground, live over winter, bloom the next year, and then they die. Such plants are called biennials. If seeds are sown each year, there is a constant supply of plants.

Some plants grow from seed each year, bloom, produce seed and die at the end of the year. These are called annuals. Examples are petunias, marigolds, snapdragons, and zinnias.

Starting your own garden in the backyard

Everything that grows needs light, air, moisture, and food. From the carbon dioxide of the air, the plant in the presence of sunlight produces sugar. This is soon changed to other substances that make up the main bulk of the plant. Additional plant food comes from the natural minerals in the soil. When the soil is lack of minerals it has to be supplied with fertilizer. The food is dissolved in water, so there must be enough moisture.

There are relatively few places on Earth where plants do not grow. If the soil of the garden is not good, it can be improved by digging good soil, manure, or commercial plant food into it. If a plot of ground grows weeds it is good soil; it will grow desirable plants equally well. Soil without weeds needs to be dug, aired, fed, and enriched with micro-organisms, supplied when manure, garden trash, peat moss, grass clippings, or good compost (peat, leaf mold, and lime mixed) are used.

As soon as the sun has warmed the soil in the spring, a garden may be started. The chosen place must have fairly good soil about eight or nine inches deep.

After an area of suitable ground is staked out, a layer of manure, peat moss, or compost has to be spread over the surface. Digging is important and must be done thoroughly and up to eight inches deep. It can be done with hand tools or by powered tillers. This loosens the soil and permits air to go into it and ventilate it.

The next step is a thorough raking. This breaks the soil clods and makes the top layer free from stones and as fine as possible. In this way, a soft bed is formed where seeds, bulbs, or small plants can easily send down their roots in search of food and moisture.

In late fall a garden of perennial plants is often covered with leaves or straw. This covering should never be put on until the first hard freeze. It is put on not to protect the plants from cold but to keep the ground from being disturbed by alternate freezes and thaws. This would loosen and perhaps expose the plants’ roots and might even push plants out of the ground altogether. This covering is left on until the spring when all danger of freezing is over. In some cases, the covering can be worked into the ground instead of being removed.

These few steps are very important for beginners:

1. Dig the soil deeply, do not just rake the surface.

2. Feed regularly with plant food that contains all the elements the plants and flowers need to grow.

3. Water the soil when there is no rain. A plant that gets too dry just once may die. Unless plants are at home in swamps and pools, they also need air for their roots so the soil has to be drained well.

4. Prevent and control insects and diseases.

5. Pick flowers often and enjoy them.

Bulb flowers gardening

Many bulb flowers can be planted in the beds of perennial plants, to add some more colors to your garden. Gladiolus and dahlia do not stand the cold so they have to be planted in spring when the soil is warm. The hardy bulbs, such as tulips and daffodils can be planted in autumn. They remain in the soil producing their roots throughout the late fall and winter, and bloom in early spring.

Bulb flowers need to be planted at a certain depth. For example: tulips, daffodils, and other bulb flowers of the same size need to be planted four to six inches deep. Such small bulbs as crocuses need to be planted only two inches deep. Anyway, follow the instructions written on the package.

Starting to sow seeds

Except for the hardy sorts, seeds should be sown outdoors after the time of danger frosts has passed. Sometimes seeds are sown indoors and moved outside when they are partly grown. They should not be sown too early because the seedlings may become too tall and weak before they can be planted outside.

In the flower garden, most seeds are planted in rows in seedbeds. They are sown twice their own diameter deep, and then covered with fine soil to keep the surface loose and moist. This helps the seedlings sprout and grow. Some seeds, such as sweet alyssum can germinate in three or four days if the sun has warmed the soil. Other seeds may take a week or more.

As soon as any kind of seed has begun to sprout the new seedling must have cared. This is the most critical time in the plant’s life. If watering is neglected, the tiny plantlets may dry out and die because their roots are not long enough to reach into the moist layers beneath.

Many seedlings are not easy to transplant, therefore such plants as poppies, gourds, beans, sweet peas, and mignonette should be sown directly in the spot where they will grow.
Some flowers can be combined to grow in plant boxes. These combinations can be made of: petunia, lobelia, begonia, coleus, geranium, morning glory, wandering jew, fern, vincas, and asparagus.

Starting an indoor terrarium and bottle garden

A terrarium is a glass or plastic container for growing plants indoors. The container can be of any shape and may have a cover to help conserve moisture and humidity. A bottle garden is very similar to a terrarium – the plants are placed in soil within a bottle. To grow a terrarium or bottle garden needs great patience and care. Both of these little gardens require part sun. If you place them on a hot sunny window the plants will die. They also should not be covered too tightly because humidity can fog the walls.

An old aquarium can be a perfect terrarium. When small animals such as chameleons, salamanders, and insects are added, it is called a vivarium. It can provide many hours of enjoyable observation.

You can make your garden even more beautiful by adding some moss around to hide the soil. Also, you can set in this little garden some small wood plants such as fern, partridgeberry, violet or any house plants and enjoy it throughout the winter.

Plan your garden ahead

When planning a garden, you have to think about the space for it. The area may be planned for several gardens such as a rock garden, vegetable garden, garden with a small pool, shrubs for background or trees for shade.

Everything has to be planned in advance. During winter you can read the seed catalogs and order seeds and plants. At the end of winter, you can check your garden tools: repair them, sharpen them or buy some new. And when the gardening time comes you will be ready to make your beautiful flower garden.

History of gardens

The primitive human had no gardens. They moved from place to place and ate wild fruits and roots. Perhaps the first garden could be a great patch of melons growing on a spot where someone had eaten the fruits and scattered the seeds the year before. Because of this new growth of melons, those people may have stayed longer than usual on that spot. They may have put up a crude brush fence around the patch to protect it from the trampling of wild animals, thus making the world’s first garden.

There are no recorded details of the earliest garden. However, there are gardening scenes pictured on the tombs of the ancient Egypt kings. For thousands of years before Christ, people in the valley of the Nile raised grain, fruit, and vegetables.

In Asia, there were gardens in ancient times. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were famous as one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World. They were built by Nebuchadnezzar when he married Princess Amytis who longed for her native hills and trees. These gardens were a series of four terraces, each one smaller than that below it. Each terrace had a beautiful planting of flowers, vines, and fruit trees.

The earliest known garden plan is from an estate that may have belonged to an Egyptian official, who lived in Thebes around 140 B.C. A canal extended outside the gateway at right led to the vineyard. Waterfowl swam in four ornamental ponds, and palm trees were planted in symmetrical patterns throughout the garden.

Flowers for happy birthday are one of the best and original presents, people will be always glad to them. Such presents are always long-awaited and cheer up. On birthday – a bouquet, a composition, a basket can be not too magnificent. And a present for an anniversary is always a beautiful bouquet or a more preferably flower basket. Besides, there can be not only flowers in the basket but also fruits, a bottle of good wine or a box of chocolates.

But it is worth to remind that any bouquet presented with love even if it consists of only one carnation or spring tulip, sometimes means much more, than a big bunch which of flowers that is difficult to keep in hands.

Happy birthday flowers for her

If a girl is brunette – for her will suit red roses, large gladiolus’s, dahlias, bright orchids, and bright carnations. Bright red colors make the brunette women even more attractive.

If a girl is blonde – everything is absolutely on the contrary. To her will suit gentle-pink, white and light yellow colors. And it doesn’t matter what kind of flowers these are – whether roses, chrysanthemums, callas, lilies or orchids.

To red-haired girls will suit dark roses, violet and dark orchids, violets, hyacinths, gladiolus’s and many other flowers, especially of dark blue and violet colors. And if there is a lot of green in the bouquet, then such bouquet will perfectly suit both a red-haired girl and a brown-haired girl. Though brown-haired women usually like simple field or wildflowers.

Rose bouquet as a birthday gift

Everybody knows that rose is a symbol of love and beauty. And you have to know that the color of the roses is very important too. The rose origin doesn’t matter it is undoubtedly the most known symbol of beauty and love. A single rose means modesty and is good in addition to a present. Pay attention to the sense of roses color. And other colors can tell a lot of interesting things.

So, red and white roses in one bouquet mean unity, a pink rose means grace and elegance, and yellow means pleasure or pleasure of communication. It is possible to express your feelings and desires with the help of orange or coral roses. Dark red or claret roses will tell your beloved person that she is very beautiful. Pink roses mean hope and tenderness.

What color of flower to choose

For any bouquet is extremely important a psychological implied sense of visually perceived general color scale: the prevalence of red tonality creates solemn, cheerful mood; white tonality creates – a sensation of freshness and cleanliness; orange and yellow tonality – warmth and light; blue tonality – confidence.

A person who chooses violet color is a deep and thin feeling person who is guided by eternal values and very serious concerns to his environment, in this case to you. The fresh orange tone symbolizes the optimistic relation to the validity, a sign of attachment and passionate desires. The yellow color is good for the expression of rough feelings too. Scarlet flowers say about ardent deep feelings and passionate desire. White flowers are paints of cleanliness and innocence – a bright proof of tender feelings, respect and passionate attachment of your beloved person.

What flower corresponds your zodiac sign and month

Aries – march, april: Geranium, Honeysuckle, Cactus, Red rose, Poppy, Tulip, Amaryllis, Gentian, Orchid, Hawthorn.

Taurus – april, may: Rose, Poppy, Digitalis, Lavender, Lilac, Aster, Lily of the Valley, Sweet Pea, Violet, Apple blossom, Cherry blossom, Geranium, Hyacinth.

Twins – may, june: Orchid, Rose, Violet. Lavender, Cherry Flowers, Coriander, Acacia, Mimosa, Narcissus, Lily, Cactus, Orange Flowers, Lavender, Fern.

Cancer – june, july: White rose, Chamomile, Cornflower, Fern, Passionflower, Hydrangea, Iris, Melissa, Gardenia, Lily, Lotus.

Lion – july, august: Lily of the valley, Orchid, Gladiolus. Marigolds, Sunflower, Gerber, Dahlia, Carnation, Heliotrope, Juniper, Willow.

Maiden – august, september: Carnation, Lavender. Buttercup, Aconite, St. John’s Wort, Chrysanthemum, Eucalyptus, Violet, Ivy, Thistle, Orange blossom.

Scales – september, october: Lotus, Canterbury Bell, Rose, Orchid, Gardenia, Tea Rose, Tuberose, Gladiolus, Iris, Heather, Lilac, Pear blossom, Violet.

Scorpion – october, november: Narcissus, Orchid, Geranium, Ginger, Hibiscus, Peony, Cactus, Broom, Holly, Milk Thistle, Snapdragon, Yucca.

Sagittarius – november, december: Lavender, Violet, Carnation, Lily, Crocus, Dandelion, Honeysuckle, Linden Flowers.

Capricorn – december, january: Orchid, Poppy, Tulip, Violet, Philodendron, Snowdrop, Jasmine, Belladonna, Ivy, Bindweed, Pansies, Quince Flowers.

Aquarius – january, february: Lily, Narcissus, Orchid, Lily of the Valley, Aloe, Belladonna, Ivy, Bindweed, Mimosa.

Fishes – february, march: Rose, Lily, Violet, Papyrus, Lilac, Narcissus, Dandelion, Honeysuckle, Hyssop, Linden Flowers.

What indoor plant corresponds your zodiac sign

Yucca is both a plant and a moth. They have developed a symbiotic relationship and neither can live without the other. Yucca plants are members of the lily family. They bear huge clusters of bell-shaped, drooping flowers which are usually white; they have stiff, sword-shaped leaves. They grow wild in southern United States, Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies. The pollen of the yucca flowers is too moist to be carried by the wind, so it depends on the yucca moth to fertilize its flowers.

Yucca moths are small and white. The female moth gathers the pollen from one flower, rolls it into a small ball, and carries it to another flower. Into each of the pollinated flowers she lays her eggs. While the young pod of the flower is growing the eggs hatch and the young larvae feed on about half of the growing seeds. When the larvae are mature they leave the pod which later splits open and release the seeds that are left.

One common species of yucca plant, which grows wild in southern regions, is cultivated in the northern United States. It is called Adam’s needle because of its sharply pointed leaves. In California the Joshua tree occurs in desert areas. It may grow 35 feet tall and has many coarse branches.

The fiber of several species is used in making rope. The juicy fruits of some species may be eaten; the pods of others may be used as a substitute for soap.

Canterbury bell is a type of flowering plant with blue, pink, and white bell shaped flowers. The plants grow as tall as 3-4 feet (92 centimeters). The flowers measure 2 to 3 inches (5.4 to 8.2 centimeters) long and are widely spaced on a single, flowering stem. Canterbury bells have hairy, oval leaves. The leaves at the base of the plant grow up to 10.2 inches (24.5 centimeters) long. The leaves on the flowering stem are shorter.

Canterbury bells are biennial, that is why they live for two years and then die. They do not flower until the second summer. They grow wild in woods and stony places, and they are also grown in gardens. Canterbury bells are native to southern Europe.

CANDYTUFT is a flowering herbal plant of the mustard family, Cruciferae. It is a favorite for both borders and beds in gardens of old-fashioned flowers. The name is supposed to have come from Candia, the early name for the island of Crete. It was brought to England from Crete in the 16th century. The plant grows about a foot high and has white, pink, or purple flower clusters. The three best-known varieties are the purple, the bitter, and the evergreen candytuft.

Another popular garden species, the globe candytuft may reach a height of 16 inches (41 centimeters). Its lavender, pink, or red blossoms grow in dense dusters. Candytuft is the name of about 30 species of plants native to southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. Many are cultivated as garden flowers.

Scientific classification. Candytufts belong to the mustard family, Brassicaceae or Cruciferae. The scientific name for the edging candytuft is Iberis sempervirens. The globe candytuft is I. umbellate.

Jasmine is a climbing, trailing, or spreading shrub of the olive family. Most of the more than 100 species are natives of the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Some keep their leaves all year, and some lose them in the autumn. All jasmines have shiny dark-green leaves and bear small white or yellow flowers. The flowers are usually sweet-smelling and grow in clusters, followed by small berries. Plants usually are grown from layers (a branch bent over into soil) or cuttings rather than horn seeds.Among the jasmines grown in the United States a few are found as far north as Washington D.C. These include the yellow-flowered Italian jasmine, from Asia; the primrose jasmine and the winter jasmine, which has yellow blossoms, both from China; and the common white jasmine, from Persia. Common farmer south is the Catalonian or Spanish jasmine, from India, much grown in Europe. Oil from the pinkish-white flowers of this variety is used in making perfume. The flowers of one species of jasmine are used in China to perfume tea. In Turkey pipe stems are made from the wood of another. Several plants with fragrant flowers called jasmines belong to other plant groups. Cape jasmine, for example, is a species of gardenia. Carolina, or yellow jasmine (Jessamine), is an evergreen vine with bright, trumpet-shaped flowers. The drug, gelsemium, is made from its roots. The star or Confederate jasmine is a white-flowered evergreen of the dogbane family.

Hollyhock is a favorite garden flower throughout the United States and many other countries. It is native to China, but has been grown in other places for hundreds of years. The hollyhock belongs to the Mallow family. Among its relatives are marshmallow, cotton, and okra.

The stately flowering stalks grow from five to nine feet tall. The large showy flowers are three or more inches across. They are white or shades of maroon, red, pink, yellow, or salmon. They may be single or double, with plain or frilled petals. The flowers bloom from June to late summer and last three or four days. When the fruit is ripe, it breaks into many parts, each with one seed. Hollyhocks are mainly biennials. They are grown from seed usually planted in July or early August for bloom the next year. There is an annual hollyhock that blooms during its first summer if it is started early indoors. Some hollyhocks are short-lived perennials.

Hollyhocks need rich, well-drained soil, and grow best in sunny places. They often grow from self sown seeds, but flowers from such plants may be a different color from those of the parent.

Verbena (verbe’na). Because of their beautiful and often fragrant flowers, the garden verbena is popular as an annual garden plant.

The colors of the flowers range from pure white to rose-colored, carmine, violet, and purple. The flower clusters are commonly about two inches across and contain a dozen or more flowers each.

The genus Verbena has nearly 100 species that occur chiefly in tropical and subtropical America. About 20 are native to the United States, and a very few occur in Europe. The species grow somewhat like shrubs. The leaves grow opposite each other on the stems. While a number of the wild species of verbena are striking and attractive, others are inconspicuous weeds. The lemon-scented verbena of gardens, prized for the fragrance of its leaves, is not a true verbena. The sand verbenas of western North America belong to the same family as the four-o’clocks and are not related to the true verbenas. A few of the sand verbenas are used for borders and gardens with sunny exposures. The species are annual or perennial, with fragrant red, yellow, or white verbena like flowers, from which their name comes. The plants often occur in large masses in the deserts of western North America. When in flower during winter and spring they add an almost indescribable beauty to the landscape.

How to Grow Verbenas.

These plants are easily grown from seeds sown in flats or pans in February or March. As soon as the seedlings are up an inch they should be transferred to two-inch pots and kept in a cool, well lighted room until May. They can then be transplanted to the garden where they should be spaced about a foot apart.

If verbena plants are obtained from a florist or from a dealer in plants they usually will be in flower, and one can obtain the colors desired. Seeds may also be planted directly in the garden as soon as the season becomes settled and warm. The flowers will usually begin to bloom in July and continue until frost.

If the bought plant is in a small planting cell (with diameter 5 cm) it needs to be immediately moved into a pot.

If it already grows in a pot – it is possible to leave it alone for 3-8 weeks, and then to move it into a container of a big size. Choose a pot with a diameter of about 10-12 cm (it is possible and more but then be especially attentive: do not pour the plant because its roots can rot).

It is better to use for the landing of tropical plants, not glazed clay pots – they provide better breath for roots. But at first steps, a plastic pot will do too, but the main thing is not to overwater it. Carefully move the root clod of a plant into a pot with a planting mix.

Best potting soil mix for house tropical plants.

Small yellowish or greenish balls of planting soil mix in which the bought tropical plant grows are not “the eggs of Florida mini crocodiles”, but the granules of slowed action fertilizer; and white balls in the soil is perlite and foam chips.

Do not even try to use garden humus soil for the planting of tropical plants.

It is better to use special corresponding tropical potting soil mix for the pottery plants, bought in the shop for the planting of such plants. It has to be well-drained, and contain a big percent (not less than half of the volume) of peat and a small amount of perlite (the volcanic hoe product that accumulates moisture and provides air penetration to roots), or very small (2-3 mm) foam chips.

The illumination of tropical plants

The main condition for the successful development of tropical plants – is good light exposure! The newly arrived plant has to be put in a well-shined place (the more light, the better), BUT WITHOUT HIT OF DIRECT SOLAR BEAMS.

In 3-5 days it is possible to put the heliophilous plants on the open sun – EXCEPT those plants which demand filtered light (for example, whitfieldia, streptocarpella, barleria).

In autumn and winter the direct solar beams do not burn leaves of the plants, therefore and shade-loving tropical plants can bare them too. Probably in winter tropical plants may need additional illumination.

The adaptation and reanimation of tropical plants

Some weak types of tropical plants on which the lasting many days way through seven seas and customs influence bad or look tired after transportation. Here are some advises on how to help such plants to cope with the endured stress and to faster adapt to new conditions:

1. Remember that in natural conditions of growth the tropical plants lived in the high humidity of air (70-90 %) and temperature (27-35?). The majority of plants grew under the bright tropical sun, and house conditions obviously differ from the environment. But if at first to take special care of such plants they will adapt to new conditions. As soon as your plants will recover from stress, they will make you fewer problems.

2. Having replaced the tropical plant in a bigger pot (first – not wider than the native pot on 5-7 cm) and having watered it let the water to COMPLETELY flow down, then put the pot on a dry pallet. The roots of the plant densely sitting in a close pot got used to the absence of moisture stagnation and they have a risk to rot in damp soil. Do not water the plant until the top layer will slightly dry up.

3. Put the pot with a tropical plant on a well-shined place, but not under the direct solar beams. If your windows are on the south part and there is no possibility to avoid the sun, during the first days it is possible to slightly shade the windows with gauze or with a grid from mosquitoes. When the plant will recover, the direct beams will be good for them (except shade-loving plants). Exactly sun is the basic pledge of successful cultivation of tropics plants on your window sill.

4. First, the tropical plant with faded foliage is better to cover with a transparent cellophane package. Air the plant 2-3 times a day in order not to allow the stagnation of air under the package. In 2-3 days the package needs to be removed. First for maintenance of the raised humidity of air (later the plant will adapt to your house conditions) try to spray more often the foliage with pure water of room temperature. Thus try not to get on the stalk and especially – on the root neck of the plant. It is possible to place a small tray with pebbles and water under the pallet – its evaporation will raise the humidity of air near the plant.

5. If you noticed signs of mold or rot on the plant – dry the plant’s crone (it is possible to put a weak fan near it). Keep in mind that the white touch on leaves can be simply sediment from hard water – it can be easily removed by wiping the leaves by a soft damp rag.

6. It is not possible to return to life the yellow leaves and the dried up branches of a plan so they need to be accurately cut off.

7. Do not fertilize the bought tropical plant minimum 4 weeks (or until the plant will have new shoots). The experts assert that the size of new shoots is equal to the size of evolved roots and you need exactly this. The more the root system will develop, the easier it will be for the plant to take the fertilizers; otherwise, the fertilizer can burn the plant’s roots. However, if the bought tropical plant looks vigorously, a week after purchase it is possible to start to spray on its FOLIAGE a weak solution of water-soluble fertilizer. If you bought a tropical plant in the beginning of winter – remember that in winter the fertilizer needs to be excluded completely, or lowered to a minimum.